A Gentleman in Moscow | |
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Genre | Historical drama |
Created by | Ben Vanstone |
Based on | A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles |
Showrunner | Ben Vanstone |
Written by |
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Directed by | Sam Miller Sarah O'Gorman |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Anna Madeley |
Composer | Federico Jusid |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 4 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producer | Lis Steele |
Cinematography | Adam Gillman |
Editor | Tim Murrell |
Running time | 48 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | Paramount+ |
Release | 29 March 2024 – present |
A Gentleman in Moscow is a British television limited series consisting of 8 episodes, based on the 2016 novel by Amor Towles. Ben Vanstone is writer, executive producer, and showrunner. The series stars Ewan McGregor in the role of Count Alexander Rostov and premiered on Paramount+ on 29 March 2024.
After recently returning to Russia from Paris, aristocrat Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov spends decades banished to an attic hotel room following the October Revolution, after being sentenced to house arrest by a Bolshevik tribunal. [1]
Main
Recurring
Guest Stars
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by [2] | Original air date [3] | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
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1 | "A Master of Circumstance" | Sam Miller [3] | Teleplay by : Ben Vanstone | 29 March 2024 | N/A | |
In 1921, a Bolshevik tribunal sentences Count Alexander Rostov of Nizhny Novgorod to a lifetime under house arrest in the Hotel Metropol Moscow. Officer Osip Glebnikov moves Rostov from a luxurious suite into the old servants' quarters. However, he may still use the hotel's services because he was promised room and board. Manager Halecki warns Rostov that the government uses the hotel to spy on wealthy guests and find traitors to the Communist Party. Nina Kulikova, a hotel employee's young daughter, is curious about Rostov's previous aristocratic life. As they form a friendship, she shows him the hotel's many hidden passages. Prince Nikolai Petrov, an old friend, asks Rostov to flee the country with him with false passports. Rostov refuses due to old regrets, loyalty to his country, and not wanting to leave behind a cherished painting of his late sister, Helena. Petrov's plans are discovered, and, to Rostov's horror, soldiers execute Petrov in the street. | ||||||
2 | "An Invitation" | Sam Miller | Ben Vanstone | 5 April 2024 | TBD | |
In 1922, shortly before the Soviet Union is officially established, Rostov reunites with Mikhail "Mishka" Mindich, who is an old college friend and pro-communist. Rostov feels guilty for ending a romance between Mindich and Helena, due to Mindich’s lower social class. Rostov is also aware that Mindich spoke in support his character to the tribunal. Silent film actress Anna Urbanova and Rostov have a one-night stand. He feels slighted when she takes a different man to her room the next night, though Rostov is unaware the man is Alexei Nachevko, a gay film producer. Rostov is pressured by Glebnikov to reveal information about Mindich's past, but he refuses. As a gesture of good will, Rostov gives Glebnikov his copy of War and Peace as an unofficial Christmas present, despite the holiday being outlawed. Before leaving for school, Nina gifts Rostov a master key to the hotel, allowing Rostov to go outdoors by accessing the roof. | ||||||
3 | "The Last Rostov" | Sarah O'Gorman | Ben Vanstone Based on the Teleplay by: Stewart Harcourt | 12 April 2024 | TBD | |
In 1926, Joseph Stalin has risen to power following Lenin's death. A teenaged Nina returns from school, having become enthralled with communist ideals. Rostov learns that his beloved grandmother, the Countess Rostova, has died while living abroad. He plans a memorial dinner, despite warnings that it could be dangerous. Changes at the hotel distress Rostov as the USSR seeks to dismantle “monuments to privilege.” Rostov and Anna rekindle their casual sexual relationship. Abram, the hotel’s elderly caretaker, becomes upset when his bee colony disappears from a rooftop hive. Only Mindich and Nina attend Rostov’s memorial dinner. Glebnikov menacingly reminds Rostov that he is a prisoner, and other nobles live in poverty. Rostov contemplates suicide but stops when Abram discovers the bee colony has returned. Abram asks Rostov to be the new beekeeper and he accepts. Meanwhile, Anna worries about her career when Stalin dislikes her latest film. She and Rostov find solace in each other’s company. | ||||||
4 | "Good Times" | Sarah O'Gorman | Ben Vanstone Based on the Teleplay by: Susie Conklin | 19 April 2024 | TBD | |
In 1932, Rostov has become the head waiter at the Boyarsky restaurant. Despite the Great Depression in the capitalist West, the USSR's economy appears strong. As part of the Komsomol, Nina travels to Donetsk to assist in collectivization. Mindich refuses to censor Anton Chekhov’s private letters for publication, for which he is beaten and must hide in the hotel. He reveals to Rostov that there is a severe famine. The hotel remains unaffected due to the government keeping up appearances for foreigners. Glebnikov orders Rostov to report on Alexei Nachevko, the new minister of culture. Anna plans to resurrect her film career. Mindich and Rostov reflect upon how Rostov killed Helena’s abusive lover, Pulonov, in a duel. As a result, Rostov was sent away and Helena later died by suicide. Mindich is arrested by Glebnikov's men. Rostov discovers Nachevko and General Belsky are not co-conspirators but secretly lovers. Rostov does not expose them, but Belsky is made into a scapegoat. In 1938, Nina's husband is sentenced to a workcamp and she plans to go with him. She leaves her daughter, Sofia, with Rostov and Nina insists it’s only temporary. | ||||||
5 | "An Arrival" | Sarah O'Gorman | Ben Vanstone | 26 April 2024 | TBD | |
Rostov looks after Sofia, which proves to be a challenge since he is confined to the hotel. However, they bond and settle into a routine. Deputy Hotel Manager Leplevsky pushes Manager Halecki to send Sofia to an orphanage. Rostov convinces them to let her stay for a month, in the hope that Nina will soon return. Anna's latest film role is given to a younger actress, Mila Federova. Anna realizes her days as a leading lady are over, and she plans to act in the theatre. Nazi Germany is mobilizing in Eastern Europe, making the Soviet Union fearful of war. Marina and Andrey’s sons leave to join the army. Leplevsky arranges for Sofia to be taken away, but Rostov and Halecki prevent this by claiming she is Rostov's niece, allowing her to remain in the hotel. In Siberia, Nina's corpse is tossed into a mass grave. An adult Sofia explains though voice-over that she searched for her mother but never found any records of what happened to her. | ||||||
6 | TBA | Sam Miller | TBA | 3 May 2024 | TBD | |
7 | TBA | Sam Miller | TBA | 10 May 2024 | TBD | |
8 | TBA | Sam Miller | TBA | 17 May 2024 | TBD |
In August 2017, it was reported that a limited series based on the book was in development at Entertainment One. [4] In April 2018, it was announced that Kenneth Branagh would star as Count Rostov in the television series, and that Tom Harper would direct it. [5]
In August 2022, it was announced that Ewan McGregor had replaced Branagh in the role of Count Rostov, and that it would be released on Paramount+ internationally and Showtime in the US. [6] [7] In November 2022, it was revealed Sam Miller would direct and executive produce the project. [8] Ben Vanstone was announced as writer, executive producer and show runner. [9] Nessah Muthy has been a script-writer on the miniseries. [10]
On 22 February 2023, Mary Elizabeth Winstead was added to the cast as Anna Urbanova. [11] In March 2023, Leah Harvey, Johnny Harris, Paul Ready, Alexa Goodall, John Heffernan, Lyès Salem, Fehinti Balogun, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Dee Ahluwalia and Anastasia Hille joined the cast. [12]
A Gentleman in Moscow is adapted from the novel of the same name by Amor Towles. However, in a change from the book, the role of Anna Urbanova has expanded in the series. Writer Ben Vanstone said that, while the "novel is necessarily very count-focused", it does not give "that broad an impression of Anna's life away from the count". Vanstone said that a reason for expanding Anna's role was to give the character "more agency through the story". [13] Another significant change from the novel was the decision to cast the character “Mishka” Mindich as a Black man.
Ewan McGregor was involved in creating the look of Count Rostov alongside Sam Miller and Ben Vanstone. During the rehearsal period for the series in London, McGregor got his hair permed and dyed it dark brown. Over time, the color began to fade which McGregor believed was "conducive to his aging". [13]
Filming began in Victoria Square outside Bolton Town Hall in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, on 27 February 27 2023 and took place into March 2023 and returned in April 2023. [14] [15] Liverpool Town Hall was used as a filming location in June 2023. [16] Filming also took place in Halifax, West Yorkshire and Leeds Civic Hall in May 2023, [17] before it was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. [18]
Amor Towles said in an interview that he expected a 2024 release date. [19] It premiered on 29 March 2024. [20]
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating, based on 33 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The critic's consensus reads: "Illuminated by Ewan McGregor's debonair performance, A Gentleman in Moscow is a rewarding and whimsical portrait of a life blossoming under constraining circumstances." [21] Metacritic assigned it a score of 74 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [22]
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